Mt. Washington Summit, Mount Washington

A group of us went for a training hike up Mt. Washington this beautiful sunny Sunday. As none of us had done this hike before, we came prepared with varying expectations, as far as difficulty and distance is concerned; there seems to be quite a bit of confusion/misinformation concerning this hike on the WTA site.

First, the 4mi RT listed on the site is to the "Owl Hike Spot," a nice overlook of North Bend about 2mi in. From the trailhead it is approximately 4mi to the summit (8mi RT).

Second, aside from the short time spent on the Iron Horse Trail, and a few spots during the climb, this trail climbs very steadily up, with several patches of loose rock footing. I am not complaining, but just thought any of you looking for a nice leisurely ascent might be in for a surprise. Considering the 3100ft+ eleveation gain in 4 miles, this should be expected.

All things considered, this was a great training hike, w/ many beautiful views. There were a few snow patches off the trail, but nothing of concern. The only negative, once we cleared up the distance issue, was the mosquitos that were quite prevalent on the top 1/2 of this climb.